FIFA World Cup 2026™ Vancouver
Australia vs Türkiye at BC Place
Australia vs Türkiye
Matchday review
Saturday, June 13 | BC Place
Vancouver's FIFA World Cup 2026™ Host City duties kicked off at BC Place on Saturday, June 13 with the meeting of Australia and Türkiye. On a beautiful Saturday evening in the city, both fanbases filled the city with bright yellow and reds with their colourful marches to the match.
It would prove one of the Socceroos’ most famous World Cup performances, defeating their heavily favoured opponents by a scoreline of 2-0. Here’s how it unfolded.
The story of the match
A Dream Start for the Socceroos
As their sixth-straight World Cup campaign kicked off in Vancouver, Australia were the underdogs against Turkiye, but goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, alongside an assured defensive performance, saw them come away deserved 2-0 winners.
Thousands of Australian fans made the trip to Vancouver, filling the Granville Pedestrian Zone with colour, and drinking more than one local establishment dry along the way.
Türkiye Suffers Disappointment After 24 Year Wait
Türkiye arrived in Vancouver for their fourth FIFA World Cup campaign, having previously played in 1950, 1954, and 2002. Their best effort came in 2002, when they lost a tight semi-final 1-0 to eventual champions Brazil, before securing 3rd place with a 3-2 win over South Korea.
The soccer-crazy nation had high hopes of an opening win, but they were dashed by a resolute defensive effort by Australia. Despite registering 20+ attempts on goal, Arda Guler and Hakan Calhanoglu couldn’t inspire their team to victory.
Who scored the only World Cup goal ever for Canada?
Alphonso Davies scored the only ever goal recorded by team Canada on the FIFA World Cup™️ stage in 2022, with his header against Croatia in the 2nd match of the group stage assisted by Tajon Buchanen.
